It's often said that one of the most difficult phrase in a man's life is his early youth (teen) age. A period where the urge for exposure comes freely and mine was no different.
I was just 16 years old at that time, a young naive girl who just rounded up secondary school and thought she was now a big girl.
I wouldn't make the story long, so here's what happened....
My movement has always been the shape of a triangle and that is, house to school to church and back to house.
But since i was done with secondary school, i felt to fill up that gap of school with learning a skill.
However, that strong well to explore would always generate no matter what. The church i attended then, had a teenage section also called the teen's church.
We were new in the church or should i say not so new since we were already 2 years in before that experience took place.
2 years was enough to know and familiarize with my fellow peers which i did, but it seems the excitement and the thought that followed of being done with secondary school really made me lose myself and open up to my youthful excitement.
In the midst of the people i mixed with in my church were the reigning babes and guys. You'll always find this set of people well dressed, even at one of the crossover new year service, immediately after everyone shouted "happy new year" this set of friends took off to the club and even asked me if i would love to tag along.
I didn't even think twice before i declined, knowing the kind of mother that i have and of course she was present in church so i didn't even dare.
In as much as i looked uninterested, i was still more unless envy of the click, i so much wanted to be there friend not that i wasn't, but i wanted to hang out more and this lead to the real event.
Among the click, was a fine boy. His parent were as they call it, well to do type. He was just 2 years older than i was and was already in his second year at the university so he's hardly seen in church.
He came to church during one of the holidays.. and since i was already gradually fitting into the click, it was easier for the boy and myself to talk.
We exchange numbers and got chatting. Then, he wanted to get me new stuffs but i declined too not just because of the fear of my parent but because i liked him truly and didn't want anything at all from him...
Then later, we agreed on seeing each other at his place (that was my first time of agreeing to such ) we fixed the date for the coming Tuesday since i had a small job offer as a face model for one of the make up studio at my location.
With all these going on, i never knew my mom as been observing my behavior..
Finally, it was Sunday. My mom just gave birth to our last born as at then and was under bed rest at home. My siblings and I prepared for church, but for some reasons i didn't follow immediately and went for second service.
When i stepped out of the house, i didn't know the evil spirit that entered me that day, but i all of a sudden wanted to try another road that led to my church, according to people it was short cut.
It wasn't entirely wrong when they say, short cut leads to danger o.
That was how i started trekking,taking the route of the short cut..on my way i met a few members of the click from my church.
Unknowingly, 2 of the boys i met who were from the click stay close to each other..they were probably neighbors.
I was so happy when i met them and didn't felt like going to church again. It was at that time i remembered that i asked one of the boys to buy me card sometime ago which he was yet to fulfill his promise.
I wanted to bring up conversation so the boys played along too. And that was how th3e one who promised me card told me to follow him to his house so he could collect his debit card, redraw through pos and give me the money for the card.
Naive and foolish me blindly followed, when we got to his house..i was still a little bit conscious and decided to wait at the corridor since it was just a matter of card.
The boy faked annoyance and you could say guilt trip me of not entering his house because i didn't trust him and with the thing of i was a guest and should be treated comfortable.
Well in my mind, he was my friend and i didn't want to get him upset not when he was part of the click that i was so much fond of.
I went inside the house with him, and sat while he went in to get his wallet. When he was out i stood up but he pleaded i seat a bit since it was my first time coming to his house.
After small talks, it happened. The guy came at me and did tried having his way with me. The most crazy thing was, i couldn't shout. Okay let me explain this part well, i couldn't shout not because i was shocked or frightened. It was rather because i feared i would be kicked out of the click if i behaved in any funny way other than cooperating, i know you're calling me stupid now, don't worry i accept it.
I was indeed stupid then. Nevertheless, i still tried talking to and pleading with him to stop, in the midst of everything, the other boy who we left behind came to the house. Luckily, the gate wasn't locked and that was how these boy got off me when he heard the sound of gate...
I couldn't explain how terrible i felt at the moment and just dashed out of the house and still went to church😪
When i got home, the thoughts of everything disturbed me. I needed to talk to someone and so i chatted the closest of the click i knew. She was my close friend even before i knew any other person among the group.
I told her everything and how i left, she was so angry. First that i didn't react by kicking him or screaming and secondly for refusing to tell my mom about it, even after she insisted that i should.
Hope you wouldn't blame me too for not telling my mom. You and I know that you'll do same if you had a mother like mine and found yourself in my shoes.
It happened that, even after God choose to save me from being raped, he equally wanted to punish me too.
Tuesday quickly came by and i went early to my crush house. I forgot to mention, i told my crush about the incident as well which he too framed annoyance for me, that's by the way.
After i left his house, i went to the studio and then went back home. My mom became furious when she saw the time i got back home accompanied with how early i left the house.
She became suspicious. Another Sunday came by, this time around.. It was a native Sunday in my church among the teen's church.
I'm not so fond of natives at that time o, not anymore. So i took a casual free wear along with me. After church i changed to my free wear, while changing there was a little slack on the neck of my gown.
When i got home, my mom's suspicious eyes scanned me and she was annoyed that i changed my outfit and i was accused of going somewhere else.
In her annoyance, she requested for my phone. Right there i knew i was done for, i just needed the ground to open and swallow me. I normally delete my chats then, but didn't know what happened that i left the chats between my friend and i untouched.
And right there, my mom saw though everything. I don't need there would be need for me to still explain the character of a Nigerian mother in such situation.
My crush messages were all cleared tho..but his recent message popped up and and that's how she knew. My mom kept on shouting and crying, then she said " My daughter has become loosed oo.," " She's no more innocent" "she visited 2 boys house in one week" "thank God is only one daughter i have, i shouldn't have had any" .....
Every words were like needles for me... And then i was punished.
Aside from collecting my phone, i was kept on 7 days fasting and prayer. Yes, that was my punishment.
It wasn't funny at all, but then i realized so many things. All the clicks and friends and crush i thought i had left. As a smart girl that I am, I knew where my mom would possibly hide my phone and I went there to contact my crush just to find out that he blocked me, and then message on Facebook telling me never to contact him again.
I learned a great lesson from that one time experience and of course, the punishment of fasting and prayer did help allot too even if it not an ideal way of correction.
In all this, my only regret was that i didn't get to slap the boy that tried taking advantage of me but i was at fault too. Sometimes, when i think back about this day i become thankful for the fasting i gotta do...it not only shaped me but also gave me a direction which has helped me till date.